Another Perfect Day
by Atavaka
Summary: How does one change the world around them? This is the question which will plague Jack as he moves into Mineral Town. Whether he'll find happiness or the retribution of his own karma can only be answered one 'perfect' day at a time...
1. Prologue: No One

Another Perfect Day

Disclaimer: I do not own Harvest Moon or anything associated with the games and merchandise from Marvelous/Natsume. Otherwise this story is my original work and any similarities between it and any real people or events are coincidental. Please note that this story is based off of the Harvest Moon: Back to Nature and Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town video game titles.

AN: This chapter is dedicated to Khajiit. Thank you for the encouragement; I couldn't ask for a better friend.

Prologue: No One

"_Played follow the leader  
Keeping my steps in time  
Counting on the wonder ahead  
I leave the pain behind."  
_-Guster, "Perfect"

_What is this? Bright, too bright… Am I dead?_

Jack tried to sit up and immediately felt dizzy.His head swirled and incoherent images flew past his eyes. The brightness was soon transformed into a cornucopia of colors, spinning through Jack's thoughts as well as his vision.

It was a huge relief when his consciousness finally decided to be kind to him and go on vacation.

* * *

"He's fine, though. He's going to live," said the woman, toying with the silver rosary around her neck. She had that haunted look of hastily-gained age and mind-tearing stress which doctors commonly associated with serious cases like these.

"Yes, he'll live. He's stabilized anyways, but these last two days were long ones. I must warn you that he will not be the person he once was." Dr. Shepherd rarely had to deal with suicide attempts, but the few he done in the past had taught him more than he ever wanted to know about the subject.

The woman reacted well to his stern attitude. "I know. But you're sure it was a suicide attempt…?"

He shook his head absently. "We can't be sure, but it would seem like it. His drug screen indicated opiates from cocaine usage in his stomach, though not as much as it could've been." Shepherd sighed. "Think of it as a cry for help. Are you and he particularly close?"

She looked down for a second. "Closer than he is with his parents. Before they separated, I would let him stay with me in my apartment when their household was getting a bit… tense." She stopped toying with the rosary. "Family life has been a bit insensitive to him. I flew in from London as soon as I heard, though."

He nodded in agreement. The parents had been contacted immediately by the police, but he had yet to see any other visitors for the boy besides his aunt. At least she seemed to care enough to end her vacation prematurely.

There was a moment of silence before the boy's aunt spoke again, a bit tentatively. "Is it okay if I see him yet?"

"Yes, you're his family. He's been waking up sporadically, so there is a possibility that you might be able to speak to him for a few moments. However," he continued, gesturing. "I suggest you not bring _that_ into the matter at the moment." The doctor nodded towards the silver rosary.

"What..? Oh!" She nodded in comprehension. "I see what you're saying. Don't worry, I'm not going to beat him over the head with the Bible; he's old enough to look out for his own soul." She gave the rosary a light twirl. "Besides, I don't have the right to preach to anybody. I wear this more for myself than anything."

"Alright," replied the doctor, smiling but not really understanding. "Let me also remind you not to be alarmed by the NG tube inserted into his nose. Also, the nurse is monitoring his blood pressure and I would ask that you not be alarmed if his condition suddenly de-stabilizes."

"What do you mean de-"

"Just a general warning," said the doctor, cutting the woman off. "He has a family history of high blood pressure."

* * *

Faces floated across Jack's mind, his friends who had been with him the entire time. The entire time. They wouldn't let anything happen to him. His friends…

_I just need more money. Just a little bit more, and they'll keep watching out for me. All of them…_

More faces, dark ones. Each one covered in shadow, like someone was closing the shutters on the door into Jack's own mind. Each one grew darker until he couldn't see anything left, but then…

Then the voices. Too many at once for him to make out. And the world! It shook and trembled! He gasped-

"Jack! Christ, what's happening to him?" he heard someone shout.

_Aunt… Melanie?_

The darkness took him again.

* * *

_One month later_

Jack sat in the back seat of Aunt Mel's burgundy Oldsmobile, lost in thought. Melanie could see him in her rearview mirror and was slightly alarmed at his unchanging expression.

He had been released from the Henry Ford Hospital several weeks ago. Melanie had used the opportunity to get him away from Detroit, deciding in a spur-of-the-moment decision to bring him back to her home in Saginaw.

That instant he had a stroke had troubled her dreams for weeks afterwards. Apparently, the cocaine had elevated his blood pressure level, which was already unusually high (hopefully from his dad's side of the gene pool and not her sister's, she would think to herself). He was stabilized about an hour afterwards, but Doctor Shepherd had insisted he stay hospitalized for another week.

In Saginaw, they had talked about Jack's future. A little bit, anyways. Jack had toyed with the idea of community college, but that was quickly flung out the window one day when he was going through some of his old belongings.

Melanie had forgotten about the farm. The old man. Most of all, the letters. Those were probably the only constant thing about Jack's life so far.

Jack wanted to move Mineral Town. Although her maternal instincts knew she would miss him, Melanie also knew that he was old enough to create his own future. Denying him his ability to live his life was quite beyond her inherent emotional strength.

So here she was, driving him to the West Coast (California, actually, not too far from Wine Country) where a ferry awaited to take him to his new home. It had been a hard four days of driving, but she was more than willing to do it.

"Jack, you've been really quiet," she said in a desperate bid to break the silence. "Not having second thoughts, are you?"

He looked startled for a second. "What- No, no, I'm doing this. Don't worry." He smiled. "I've just been thinking how lucky I am."

This time it was Mel's turn to be startled. "What do you mean?"

"Well…," he replied dreamily, which was a very unusual tone for him. "I've got a life to bury behind me, but I've just been handed a new life. A chance to start over again." He let his head fall back against the seat. "I've known a whole lotta people who didn't get second chances."

Melanie was so surprised by the direction of this conversation that she almost swerved into the other lane (which would've ended this story a lot sooner as it would've put the Oldsmobile right in front of an oncoming Jeep). She had avoided asking him about his possible "suicide" attempt and had saved him from the mental/therapy ward at the hospital; this was the closest they had come yet to discussing it.

She waited for him to continue.

Grassy, rolling hills passed them by through the window, overlooked by a deepening red sky that reflected off of the green-gold grass. Jack noted this beauty and seemed to drink it in.

"Aunt Melanie…" He began. He hesitated, then thought better of stopping and continued. "I'm sorry I tried to kill myself."

It wasn't the revelation that affected Melanie so much as the way he said it: in his normal voice. A bit sadder and less vibrant, maybe, but still so casual… and _blunt_.

He didn't wait for her to speak. "Thanks for everything, Aunt Mel. For raising me, for… for…" He seemed to get choked up over the last few words, but Melanie thought she caught them. These words, however, are much too precious to reveal here.

Melanie felt tears come to her eyes. "It was worth it."

* * *

Jack never did say why he tried to kill himself, but he seemed to recover from his mushy state by the next morning when they reached the "ferry's" dock.

"_That _would be a tug boat," Jack said in disbelief. "And it looks like it just finished chasing Moby Dick."

Melanie had to admit the old "ferry" had seen better days… well, decades, really. Its hull was patched in several spots with sheets of metal and the bow was lined with old Goodyear tires. But she was too happy to see Jack back to his "cheery" old self to pay unnecessary attention to his comments; they'd already shared their emotional moment in the car.

"It's the only ride over to Mineral Beach. Oh, and the captain's name is Greg, in case you have to talk to him or something." She saw the captain leap onto the lonely wooden dock before them.

He was a dark-skinned man with thick, but slightly curly, grey hair. His clothing reminded Jack of a an old western flick: he was wearing boots, blue trousers, green vest over a light blue cotton shirt, and a straw hat tied around his neck to complete the look.

"This is the one I'm taking?" His voice seemed a little rusty, like it wasn't used too often. At least it didn't have a Southern "twang" like Jack had imagined it might.

Melanie spoke before Jack could send off one of his smart-ass remarks. "Yes, this is the one. About your payment-"

"Give 'em pop cans," Jack muttered with a grin. Melanie kicked him.

"_About _your payment, would you mind a personal check of, oh-"

"Are you trying to insult me, ma'am?" Greg honestly looked a little hurt. Melanie, confused, simply shut up so he could speak. It took him a few seconds.

"Ma'am, in my mind this is a favor to an old friend. Now I usually don't do this sort of stuff at all; I bring goods and supplies and anything else that the good folks of Mineral Town mail order, not people. _That_ ferry closed years ago when the resort near Forget-Me-Not-Valley went down the hole." His mouth suddenly turned down from an angry straight line to a sad frown. "Still, Ben made me promise to bring the kid Jack back to the farm when the time came. I mean to keep that promise."

"And where does your pay-"

"For _free,_ ma'am. Ben was my friend and I owe him more than I can say." Greg shook his head and began walking back down the dock to his tug boat. He looked so _old_.

Before hopping back over the tug boat's railing, he turned back towards Jack and Melanie. "All aboard, son."

Melanie quickly grabbed Jack's wrist as he started towards the boat and stood on her toes to kiss him on the forehead. "I'll write you," she said.

Jack nodded and followed the old man aboard.

* * *

_There's no looking back now. I told Aunt Mel what she needed to hear, and now she's free from me. _

_I know I'm going where I need to go, but why do I feel so lonely…? Just like I did before. Even surrounded by all those people, friends…But no one came. Not one of them came to my hospital room, not one of them bothered calling me in Saginaw. No one…Even after I gave them everything._

_Why do I feel so alone? _

…_Because no one is here, that's why._


	2. Old Farm, New Life

Another Perfect Day

Disclaimer: I do not own Harvest Moon or anything associated with the games and merchandise from Marvelous/Natsume. Otherwise this story is my original work and any similarities between it and any real people or events are coincidental. Please note that this story is based off of the Harvest Moon: Back to Nature and Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town video game titles.

Chapter 1: Old Farm, New Life

"So he was into rock gardening or something...?" Jack looked at the sad, neglected field and wondered for the second time what the hell he had just gotten himself into. This was nothing like the tidy, yet somewhat lonely, little farm he remembered; the place was still lonely, but the field had more in common with a tornado hit-zone than the tiny and organized vegetable plots of a typical small-scale farm. "He really let himself slip, didn't he?"

The small man standing next to Jack shook his head slowly. "The past couple of years were hard on his body and he couldn't keep up with the farm anymore. First he had me sell his cows and sheep to the Yodel Ranch down the road, then he gave his remaining chickens to the Poultry Farm next door. He finally stopped tending the field, and now... Well, it's what you see." The little man turned to face Jack. "Once he started keeping to his house more, I made an effort to visit and check up on him every few days or so. All he ever talked about was you." The little man's eyes peered expectantly out from behind a pair of glasses.

_Doesn't surprise me, even after we stopped writing each other._ "Ben was great pen pal. Honestly, I'm the one who stopped writing him. Got too caught up in my own life." Jack sighed. "I guess this is my way of making it up to him..." Jack couldn't get his eyes off of the craggy stones puncturing the dusty earth and the assortment of decaying logs and rampant weeds lying in between the crags. _Figures._

The little man, whose name was Thomas, had his own thoughts on the matter of Jack's inheriting the farm. _He's dressed like a farmer, but you can tell he's too pale and skinny to have really worked a day in his life. And I don't like his attitude... just doesn't seem bright enough. But what do mayors know about farming? Nothing, nothing, and more nothing._ "Ben had faith in you. He was never angry, I'll tell you that. Believe me, his spirit is already resting in peace just knowing that you're here."

In fact, Mayor Thomas knew that to be true. One of Ben's favorite topics in his last few weeks was how Jack would love coming back to the farm. "He needs it," Ben would say. "City-life is all wrong for him. He'll never find happiness there." He would tell countless tales about the week Jack spent on the farm when he ran away from his parents' vacation home nearby. How Jack would ride the cows, beat the chickens, scratch the old dog, fish in the sea on the nearby beach... He even spoke of the friends he made with the village children. And the letters! Although he seemed to forget about them towards the end, he would also speak forever about how proud he was that Jack graduated from high school, or how sad he was when he heard that Jack was having trouble making the right friends. He would always end with Jack belonging in Mineral Town, away from all of the business and stress of the city.

Jack was the son Ben never had: probably the reason why Ben had been so caring for such a cynical boy. It was tough for Thomas to see the qualities Ben had apparently seen in Jack, but what did mayors know about virtues needed to be a successful farmer?

_Nothing, nothing, and more nothing._

"So you know where all of Ben's old tools are and you've had the grand tour of the town. Zack the shipper said he'd come by in the morning to tell you about shipping produce. I guess all that's left is to tell you about Mother Hill." Thomas pointed out into the distance beyond the field where a small bridge lay. "South of the bridge is a small forest path where Gotz, the wood cutter, lives. He'll handle any construction you might need for the ranch. A little northwest of that is a hot spring and mine, and uphill from that is a small lake. The summit is just a short hike from there. Got all that?"

"Sure." Jack couldn't stop considering the daunting task of clearing this woe-begotten field. There had to be some sort of bulldozer in this town...

"And if you're thinking of finding a bulldozer to clear the field, don't. There isn't a single motorized vehicle on the island. Well, good luck on restoring the… er, what did you call it again?"

"Call what?"

"The farm! What are you naming the farm?" Thomas was starting to shout, and jump a bit, in exasperation. He looked like a bouncing tomato.

"Oh. Doesn't it already have a name?" asked Jack, scratching his head.

_I can't really tell him I forgot; the old man kept changing it every day once his health starting sliding downhill! _thought the mayor feverously. "Well, since this is the start of a new age for the farm, why don't you give it a new name?"

Jack wasn't in the mood to play these cute little naming games. "I'm sorta hungry, so how about the Fajita Farm?"

_Good Goddess, that's a stupid name._ "That's a great name! I love it!" shouted the mayor enthusiastically, in complete contradiction to his own thoughts. "Well, good luck on restoring the Fajita Farm! And take good care of your new puppy!" he added, nodding towards the catatonic dog lying next to the little red-roofed dog house. In a fit of inspiration, Jack had named it Molly.

As soon as the mayor left, the puppy's little brown eyes shot open. It stood up and lifted a leg to relieve itself before pacing in a circle and sitting back down. The dog's obedience to nature, however, had quickly revealed Jack's error in determining its sex.

"Guess you're more of Timmy than a Molly, huh?" He scooped up the pup and carried it inside. "I'm really bad with animals. Timmy's not too bad of a name, though. Right?"

The pup, still undisturbed in sleep, twitched his leg dreamily.

_

* * *

_

_Jack's Diary, Spring 2 of his first year on the farm _

_Work sucks. A lot. And so does this farm. It's going to keep sucking, too, unless someone changes something about and I the only guy who can do it. At least, that's what I've been telling myself. But jeez, there's a lot of work ahead of me. _

_I deserve it though. I should've come out here when I first got the letter about Grandpa Ben's death and will. I'm just glad I didn't throw the letter away or pawn it or something… _

_No, that part of my life is done. Buried and done. I'm just glad I'm here now. _

_You know, this place ( Mineral Town, ain't that a hick name?) seems to have some sort of power over me. Like, when I was getting off the ferry and walking across the beach, it was like some sort of weight was being taken off of me. Every step just gave me this sense of release… For my mind, soul, heart, everything! No doubt about it, this is where I need to be. _

_I haven't really met anyone new yet besides the Mayor, but he seemed like a pretty nice guy. I'll bet the rest of the villagers are the same, though, of course, I don't really _know_. I'll probably get a chance to really meet them tomorrow. _

_So yeah, there's still nobody here besides me (and Timmy, but I think he sleeps too much for a puppy; hope he's not dead…). But I don't feel alone anymore. No I feel content. That's right, _I _feel _content!_ I've never felt like this before! _

_I know this probably sounds crazy, but I also feel like Grandpa Ben is here, too. Not like one of those horror movie ghosts, but I just get this feeling… It's the same feeling I got whenever I saw his return address on a newly-arrived envelope, like he's proud of me. _

_I think Grandpa Ben is watching me from Heaven, and he's proud of me. I need to work hard to deserve that sort of love._

_**AN:** Well, there goes the first real chapter of the story. A bit different from the style and, erm, subject matter of the prologue, eh? Anyways, this one is more like the traditional Harvest Moon fic as it brings the story back on to the old stomping grounds of Mineral Town. I hope you have enjoyed it, and that you'll enjoy all of the chapters to come!_


	3. Bending Over Backwards

Another Perfect Day

Disclaimer: I do not own Harvest Moon or anything associated with the games and merchandise from Marvelous/Natsume. Otherwise this story is my original work and any similarities between it and any real people or events are coincidental. Please note that this story is based off of the Harvest Moon: Back to Nature and Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town video game titles.

Chapter 2: Bending Over Backwards

Jack collapsed onto his shipping bin and a few forgotten weeds fell from his now-feeble fingers. His new 'farmer' clothes were stained by more dust devils than Jack knew existed, and you could see an outline of his knees through the mud spots he got from kneeling. Enough sweat cascaded down his brow to turn the Nile River into a body of salt water.

"Ahaha… I did it… Timmy! I… cleared the field." His arm strength gave out and he fell onto the grass by the bin. "'Cept for Mt. Everest… and the Himalayas over there," he panted, weakly indicating the huge, stony crags still dotting the field.

The puppy made water on a corner of the shipping bin and then ran off to the far side of the farm.

It _was _a pretty good job for someone with only four days of farm experience and no previous physical work record. The wood from the numerous stumps he had chopped was piled neatly in his lumber shed, and the gargantuan pile of pulled weeds had been trash-bagged and transferred into the shipper's care the day before.

In short, Jack had finally cleared the field enough to finally start the tilling and planting process.

"Nothing to sell today, Jack?" came a deep voice from behind.

Jack quickly hoisted himself up against the shipping bin and turned around to face the shipper, Zack. Zack was the only villager besides the mayor that he had met, but that was mainly because he came out to the farm every day at five p.m. sharp to pick up any produce Jack wanted ship. So far, Jack hadn't shipped a single thing, but that didn't stop the big man from making his rounds everyday.

"Nope… sorry," he wheezed, wiping some of the sweat off of his cheek at the same time.

"Eh, alright. Not a big deal." Zack smiled. "Looks like you've been working hard. Think you'll be ready to start planting crops by tomorrow?"

"Oh sure… crops… fun…" Jack went down, hard. Zack watched the whole sequence semi-impassively (partly out of disbelief), then bent to check out the farmer's condition.

He was out cold.

* * *

"Shouldn't you have taken him to the clinic instead of the bar?" asked Ann, the Mineral Inn's bar and restaurant waitress.

"He's not sick or anything. Just not used to working hard yet, is all." Zack had planted the unconscious Jack into a seat at one of the tables near the bar and was trying to revive him with a glass of cold water. "Besides, he hasn't gotten out of the farm yet and I thought the bar is the best place to meet people." He threw the water into Jack's face.

Jack woke up, spluttering in surprise. Taking in his surroundings for a split second, he decided that he'd rather be unconscious than deal with location confusion. He fell back to sleep almost immediately.

A shaggy-haired old man sitting at a wooden table near the front of the bar nodded in agreement with Zack. "Gray was the same way when he first came out here. Hadn't worked a day in his life. City-life makes men go soft." The old man took a swig of the beer in his mug. "'Course, two days with me toughened him up a bit," he added with a surprisingly-hardy chuckle which no one else joined in on.

Realizing that any further revival efforts were going to be in vain, Zack stood up and handed the now-empty glass back to a very annoyed Ann. "Well, I gotta go guys. I have another early day tomorrow with some new shipping contracts to look over." He started for the bar doors.

"Hold it!" yelled Ann. "Who's gonna carry sleeping beauty home, gorilla-man? In case you haven't noticed, I haven't been working out as much as you!"

The red-headed waitress had a point. Zack _was_ built like a gorilla, so for him lifting little Jack was nothing. He frowned, but the shaggy-haired old man spoke up before he could.

"I'll take him home. We're neighbors, you know."

"Thanks, Saibara," said Zack as he ran out the door before Ann could stop him.

Ann let out a magnificent sigh. "As long as he gets back to his own house. Something tells me he couldn't pay for a room here."

Saibara nodded sagely and returned his attention to his mug of beer. He was the village's blacksmith and was solely responsible for the creation of Ben's, and now Jack's, tools. He lived in the forge across the road from the farm's entrance.

"Hey, Ann! Pour me another glass of last year's wild grape stock!" bellowed the slightly-baked winery owner, Duke.

"I'll be right there," she said, trying to remember how many he'd had so far that night. It was her job to cut him off since Duke had a tendency to get wasted before the bar "officially" opened at eight, when her dad took over.

* * *

_The Next Morning_

Jack was almost surprised to be in his bed when he woke up, as the last thing he remembered was grabbing onto the shipping bin for support. Of course, he had no conscious recollection of his first Mineral Town bar experience, or of Saibara carrying him home like a babe. Perhaps some things are naturally for the better.

Jack simply convinced himself that he must've gone to bed on his own, and even contrived a few memories in those regards.

He absent-mindedly checked the weather report for tomorrow (clear skies as usual) and was about to pop a few store-bought rice cakes into his mouth when he noticed a note and a few seed packets on the table.

_Dear Jack:_

_Zack and I decided to help you get a head start by getting these seeds for you. The two grey packets are turnip seeds and the brown one contains potato seeds. Sow them in some tilled soil and water them every day._

_-Ann_

_P.S. Stop in at the Mineral Inn and say hi once in a while! Oh, and if you have anymore questions about seeds, head over to the supermarket and ask either Karen or Jeff._

"Who the hell is Ann?" he asked himself. The obvious questions, like how the note got in his house in the first place, never even occurred to Jack.

Shaking his head in confusion, he grabbed the seed packets, his hoe, and the green watering can before going outside…

Where another surprising spectacle greeted the mentally-beleaguered farmer. A young man wearing a blue cap and what appeared to be tan army fatigues was angrily beating the soil in Jack's field with his own hoe.

At Jack's appearance, the young man glared at him icily. "I'm almost finished with the third plot. I hope you're satisfied." His voice was so soft it was almost a whisper.

Jack's jaw dropped. "_Satisfied?_ Why would I be satisfied? I never asked you to do this!"

The other man took one more swing at the dirt before laying his hoe to rest. "Grandpa said you're still too weak to handle too much work, so he had me come here and till you three c-shaped plots for growing vegetables." He tipped the blue cap down over his eyes. "It's really just a punishment for screwing up another horseshoe, though."

"Grandpa? Horsehoe?" stammered Jack, completely lost.

"Yeah, my grandpa: Saibara the blacksmith. He's your neighbor." The man began to stalk off. He stopped suddenly and turned around. "Oh, and my name's Gray. I'm his apprentice." He stomped off again.

"This is getting kinda weird," mumbled Jack before opening the first packet of turnips.

* * *

_Jack's Diary, Spring 6 of his first year on the farm_

_So not everyone here is as friendly as I thought, but at least I met a few people. I think. I still don't know who the heck this "Ann" is (or this "Jeff" or "Karen"), but she seems to know who I am. God, I hope I didn't do anything stupid while I was drunk…_

_Anyways, I finally planted my first seeds. That Gray guy did a pretty good job with the vegetable plots, even if he did seem a bit… angry. He sorta reminds me of the people I used to know back in Detroit…_

_At least the most hellish work is behind me. My stupid hammer won't break those crags, sp I think I'll go see this Saibara about making it stronger. Blacksmiths do that kind of stuff, don't they? Even if they don't, all the hard stuff is behind me so I can finally get some time to go into town. Meet some of the locales and what not._

_Another thing I noticed is how small and cramped this house is. Didn't the mayor say I could expand it by talking to the woodcutter? Well, I _do _have lots of wood now; maybe I should talk to the guy._

_Before I go to bed, let me just say one more thing: farming is nothing like gardening! Here I was, thinking it would be relaxing and simple! Well, it's simple alright; simple work, sweat, and pain, that's what!_

**_AN:_** _Another chapter finished! I'm really getting used to writing with Mineral Town as a setting; lot's of material to go on and what not. Anyways, this is now officially my longest-running fic! I don't know whether to be proud or kind of sad…_


	4. Jack's First Festival

Another Perfect Day

Disclaimer: I do not own Harvest Moon or anything associated with the games and merchandise from Marvelous/Natsume. Otherwise this story is my original work and any similarities between it and any real people or events are coincidental. Please note that this story is based off of the Harvest Moon: Back to Nature and Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town video game titles.

Chapter 3: Jack's First Festival

"I wonder how long it takes seeds to actually grow," mumbled Jack. Talking to himself (or his dog, which was almost the same thing) was a hobby he had only recently begun to explore.

Thankfully, he chose not to answer himself this time.

He emptied a bit of water onto each tilled spot that was sowed with vegetable seeds. Upon completion of this chore, he was about to attempt yet another conversation with himself when Mayor Thomas made an unexpected entrance.

"Good morning Jack! And how is the Fajita Farm doing to- Sweet Goddess!" He said, leaping into the air. "You've… almost completely cleared the farm." He looked at the field in wonder and possibly just a hint of veneration.

"Mayor Thomas…? Oh, hi." Seeing another real person quickly brought him back to reality. "Yeah, I've been working really hard. Got most of it now except for those big boulders."

"You've… done really well Jack. I'm impressed." He shook his head as though trying to break out of a trance. "But that's not why I'm here! I wanted to tell you that the Spring Goddess Festival is tomorrow in the Rose Square at 10 a.m. You should take a break and come see everyone!"

"Uh, sure. But what exactly is the Spring Goddess Festival?" asked Jack, scratching his chin.

"Well, it's a festival to commemorate Spring and the blessings of the Harvest Goddess." Jack just stared at him blankly. "There'll be drinking and dancing. Oh, just come, won't ya?" With that, the little man went scurrying out of the front entrance.

Before Jack had time to even blink, another visitor barged in. This one was an older gentleman with a slightly-crooked back and a kind, white-bearded face that Jack vaguely remembered belonging to the owner of the Yodel Ranch. He pulled a chestnut-colored foal behind him.

"Hey Jack! It's me, Barley! We met before, remember?" said the old coot enthusiastically. He went up and gripped Jack's hand in a kindly manner that Jack had no trouble overpowering and crushing. Releasing Jack's hand, Barley turned around to face the pony.

"Pretty, isn't he? Do you like horses, Jack?"

"Uh-"

"Great! I'll let you take care of this one since I don't have any room for him at my ranch." He stuffed the horse's reins into Jack's hands. "Now you should name him."

"But I never said I wanted-"

"Name the horse, Jack." Barley's face suddenly turned so serious and… _mournful_ that Jack couldn't help but obey. Disobedience would be the equivalent of kicking a puppy.

"How about… Lightning?" he stammered. Barley's face brightening immediately and he grinned, revealing only a few odd teeth in his mouth.

"Great name! Perfect for a race horse!"

"_Race horse? _Who said anything about racing?" Jack was aghast at this turn of events.

"Why, you'll be a great jockey, Jack! I know you will!" Barley gave him a great clap on the back. "I'll come take a look at ol' Lightning here when he grows up and if you took good care of 'em, you can race him! Fun, eh?" He cackled.

"But I don't know anything about racing horses-"

"You'll learn everything you need to know at this year's horse races. In fact, the first is on the 18th. It's gonna be great!" He let out another chuckle. "Well, I'll bet you've got girls to chase for the festival tomorrow, so I'll put Lightning in that stable and be on my way…" he began leading Lightning towards his new home in mid-statement.

"Wait! What do you mean, chase girls?" shouted Jack after Barley's retreating back. Thankfully, Barley wasn't hard of hearing yet.

"Didn't you know? Today you ask one of the girls your age to the festival tomorrow. You escort her." He turned back around. "You really didn't know, did ya? Tell you what, you can't find a date and I'll let you take my granddaughter. She's way too young for that romance stuff, but she'll keep you from embarrassing yourself in front of everyone." He resumed leading the horse away again with another cackle. "It wouldn't look too good if you went alone. Don't want my new racing prodigy to get belted off the farm so soon."

Jack's blood froze. _Did he just say what I think he said?_ He ran up to the old rancher and the foal, impeding them for the second time.

"What do you mean, 'get belted off the farm so soon?'"

Barley frowned and looked up into Jack's surprised eyes. For once, he deigned not to cackle. "Well, Jack, I assumed you knew…"

"What? Knew what?" His voice was starting to take an edge of desperation.

"Sonny, this farm has been responsible for keeping the village afloat for _years_. Now, the villagers are willing to wait a little while for you to get it back on its feet, but if you don't make it successful soon…" He shook his head gently. "You might be asked to leave. The village can't live without your farm forever, and someone more capable will replace you."

"But, but," sputtered Jack. "The will-"

"If the village doesn't accept you, there's not a whole lot you can do. But don't worry! You keep working the farm like this and it'll be flourishing in no time. And go visit people once in a while. If you have friends in the village, no one will want to close you down." He gave Jack another enormous grin. "Why, you've got my vote already! You seem to have a good heart, just need to start raising some animals."

Jack barely heard him. _I can't get kicked out of here. There's no where else for me to go… right?_

"Jack…? Jack!"

He blinked and looked at Barley blankly.

"You going to be alright?" Jack nodded. "Then I'll see you around. Bye Jack."

Jack made himself busy watering the rest of his seeds as Barely finished "delivering" Lightning and left for his own ranch.

* * *

Jack wandered despondently through the village's cobbled streets. It was in the middle of the afternoon and the place seemed dead. 

He passed what appeared to be the blacksmith's forge and another building with a sign reading "Aja Winery" in front. No one was out walking and Jack had little present desire to pursue anybody in their homes.

Nothing remarkable happened until he stood in front of a strange building which was partially titled "Mary's Library." He heard shouting to his right and turned just in time to see a girl with long brown hair tackle an older man wearing a purple vest.

"Pay _up_ Duke! You know we don't keep tabs!" The girl was doing an excellent job of holding down this "Duke" guy, who appeared to be quite a bit heavier than she was.

"K-Karen!" mumbled Duke, whose mouth was partially buried in the cobble stone. "It's- _mmpf_ not a very-" He broke off as she kneed him in the small of his back. He reared up like a bucking stallion, freeing his mouth from the road. "Argh! It's not a very big tab!"

Karen weeded one arm around his neck in an obvious effort to make his breathing more difficult. "It's 5000 gold pieces, Duke. _5000!_"

Duke gasped in pain before his face started turning purple. He began making some strange guttural noises. The girl relaxed her hold on his neck a bit.

"Okay, _okay! _I'll pay!" He panted. "But… But you'll need to talk to Manna since I don't have-"

"Thanks!" said Karen, snatching a little bag out of Duke's black trousers. She lithely leapt off of the grunting man and opened the bag, revealing quite a few gold coins within. Large ones, all of them.

"Hey! That's stealing!"

"Is something wrong guys?" Jack finally found his voice after the shocking spectacle. It wasn't everyday that you saw a girl with a cheerleader's body take down a portly middle-aged man.

"Yeah, there's something wrong!" Duke, blushing fiercely, stood up and brushed himself off. "That girl over there jumped me!"

"Hmm… Looks like there's about 7000 gold coins in here Duke. Here's your change." The girl, Karen, tossed the small bag back to Duke, whose face was becoming more and more like a bottle of barbeque sauce every second.

"See? She took my money! You saw the whole thing, you can help me… Tell Harris…" Duke's embarrassed rage seemed to dissipate and he looked at Jack curiously. "Say, aren't you that farmer Zack brought to the bar a couple of nights ago?"

"Uh, I don't think so…" Jack's head churned in thought. _Must've been the night I collapsed next to the shipping bin. And the next day I got those seeds and that Gray guy was there… Yeah, that sorta makes sense. But why would Zack bring me to the bar?_ "Second thought, it might've been me, but I don't remember that night too clearly."

"Well, take care of yourself I guess." Duke grinned and gave out a great, bellowing laugh which seemed to be the trend for all of the village's men. "Stop by the winery sometimes and buy a bottle or two." He then strode past Jack, having seemingly forgotten Karen's assault.

The girl was still standing there, and Jack got his first good look at her. She was beautiful: slender legs, a pretty oval face framed by two odd strands of golden hair, a cascade of brown hair which went down to her waist, and two mesmerizing jade eyes. She wore a purple vest over a white shirt and blue jean shorts which did little to hide her alluring figure.

"It's been a while since a guy looked at me like that," she said, frowning. Her voice was excellent too, the kind of voice you could picture singing on Broadway: bold and perfectly-toned.

"Uh, sorry. I haven't seen too many girl debt-collectors, though." Jack could feel his cheeks blushing a bit, which was odd since he had never been one to act strangely in front of the opposite sex.

"Oh, that. Duke is always trying to charge." She sighed and began toying with one of her golden locks. "My dad runs the Supermarket down the street, but he's such a pushover when it comes to Duke. Someone has to collect the money or we'll go out of business," she said, shrugging.

"But you…" she said, peering at him. "You're the one Ann was talking about."

_Not that Ann again._ This time it was Jack's turn to frown. "Ann? Is she the one who bought me those seeds?"

"Yeah, she and Zack bought them. Pretty nice of them, if you ask me." She looked at Jack in an odd, evaluating sort of way. "You don't know that much about seeds, do you?"

Jack smiled. "You can tell?"

"Well, yeah. You don't look anything like a farmer." Returning his smile briefly, she whirled around and starting walking off in the opposite direction. "I'd be happy to help you with seed selection, if you need it. Just drop by the Supermarket; I'm almost always there!"

A nagging thought emerged from Jack's slightly-muddled memory. "Wait!" She turned around, surprised. Gaining a bit of confidence, he continued. "You wouldn't happen to be… free for this Spring Fling festival tomorrow, would you?"

She blushed, but not in a good way; more like an "I'm-embarassed-to-say-no-to-someone-as-sorry-as-you" way. "It's called the Spring Goddess Festival, and I would say yes to you, but, well… I already told someone I'd go with him. Maybe you know him; it's Rick, the guy who lives at the Poultry Farm next to your place."

_And I had such a good feeling about her, too_. "No, I don't know him. And it's not a really big deal or anything. I mean, we just met and all."

She smiled apologetically. "You know what? I was just about to go to the inn to see Ann. Maybe you'd like to ask her if she'd go with you." She giggled. "I hear you and already have a history together."

"It's not my fault Zack brought me to the bar," mumbled Jack. "Alright, I'm coming. I really _do_ need to meet this girl. You know, to thank her," he added when Karen gave him a rather lewd look.

"This way then." Karen took off down the tree-lined cobble boulevard with Jack close at her heels.

* * *

_Jack's Diary, Spring 7 of his first year on the farm_

_What an insane day! First I get myself a horse (a HORSE), find out I could be kicked off the farm in a heartbeat like in one of those reality shows, met the local enforcer, Karen, and then I finally got to meet that girl who broke into my house the other day. Okay, so she _was_ carrying me home (well, the blacksmith was, but she was sorta helping), but it's kinda weird when you don't remember things like that._

_Well, I guess it's not that important. Time to stop stressing over it._

_But I'm glad I got the chance to meet her; she _is_ cute. But nothing like that Karen chick! Wow, I was _not _expecting someone like her around here._

_I took up Barley's offer to take May to that festival thing. I did ask Ann to go with me (Karen, too), but she said she was already going with some guy named Cliff. Haven't met that one yet, but I'll have to make a point to. It's really annoying when you know a name, but don't know the face._

_Oh, and Karen tells me that the turnips should finish growing in a couple more days, probably around the 10th. Looking forward to my first harvest._

_And, before I forget, a permanent memo: potatoes take about eight days to grow, turnips take around five. I think I'll try my hand at cucumbers after this batch grows. That, and buy a new rucksack; this old one I found in the stable is a little, uh, small (I can barely fit my fist into it!)._

_So tomorrow I'll get to see my first Mineral Town festival. It shouldn't be too bad, if I am stuck playing the 'big brother' role with a little girl I haven't even met._

_God, I hope I don't look like a pedophile. _


	5. Good Goddess!

Another Perfect Day

Disclaimer: I do not own Harvest Moon or anything associated with the games and merchandise from Marvelous/Natsume. Otherwise this story is my original work and any similarities between it and any real people or events are coincidental. Please note that this story is based off of the Harvest Moon: Back to Nature and Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town video game titles.

Chapter 4: Good Goddess!

"So I _do _look pretty, right? You wouldn't lie, right?"

"Yes, you're pretty May. No, I wouldn't lie." Jack attempted to reassure her as brightly as he had the first time she asked him those two questions, but he had lost his steam around the tenth repetition.

"If you say so. Grandpa sometimes says I'm pretty when I'm not, then Stu tells me I'm ugly."

Jack looked down at May, who was only about as tall as his hips. She was a cutie, with her fat, black pigtails and moondrop-bedecked pink dress. If her hair was blond, she would've resembled a classic cherub. Well, a very depressed cherub at any rate; her face seemed to have a permanently downcast expression. You really had to listen to her voice to tell how she was feeling.

"Is Stu your boyfriend, May?" Jack asked with just a tiny hint of joking condescension.

It was a mistake. "_Boyfriend?_ Ewwwww! He still tries to throw his boogers at me, and he's eight years old! Popuri says that boys need to be nice to girls when they reach that age!"

She halted right there in the middle of the path and refused to move until she divulged even more instances of Stu's immaturity, all the while looking down at her feet. Jack couldn't coax her any further.

"A-and then I pushed him. He deserved it, right?" In her sudden surge of passion, tears were starting to form at the corners of her eyes which still gazed solidly at her feet, only rising on occasion to confirm Jack was in hearing distance. "He fell and starting crying, saying he broke his back and it was all my fault… I felt so bad, but Elli said he was just being a crybaby." She grimaced and the tears began leaking out. "Then Popuri yelled at me for pushing Stu, saying girls shouldn't do that. But she wasn't there! It was all Stu's fault, right?"

"C'mon, May, we're already late." Jack was getting a little desperate. He didn't want to be seen dragging the little girl into the square, and they were only a few feet away… "Can't you tell me later? If we wait too much longer, you won't be able to dance-"

"Oh, you're just like Popuri! You don't believe me! Well, Stu _did _call me stupid! He said all girls were stupid, even my mom! He's never even met my mom!" The tears were pouring now, which worried Jack; it was just as bad to forcefully drag her into the square as it was to haul her in weeping. "I hate Stu!"

Luckily, Jack and May weren't the only two late-comers.

"May? What's wrong, honey?"

A young woman wearing a white dress very similar to May's glided over to her side and knelt down. Jack was more than a little caught off-guard by her hair color: pink, as bright a shade as cotton candy. It wasn't so much that he hadn't seen unusually-dyed hair before, but he wasn't expecting someone like that in a place such as Mineral Town…

Then he noticed the girl's eyes were red, which signified something very odd about this individual. Jack was almost positive there were no eye specialists on the island, so it was very unlikely that she was wearing special contact lenses; no, it appeared that red was her natural eye color. _Does that mean that the pink is natural too…?_

"May, stop crying sweetie. No one's being mean to you, right?" She looked up at Jack, eyes blazing with anger. It was pretty obvious who she was trying to blame.

"Hold on a second! We were just talking about her friend Stu when-"

"He's not my friend! At least, he isn't anymore." May's uncontrollable tear storm seemed to have abided as quickly as it appeared.

"Really? Is that all?" The odd girl's suspicions regarding Jack evaporated surprisingly fast. "But you two are sooo _cute_ together!" She looked back towards Jack, narrowly avoiding May's indignant glare. "And you're supposed to be her escort? She's a little young for you, you know." She grinned. "As long as you're nice, though, I guess it's not a problem."

"Wh-what are you trying to say? I'm going as a sort of big brother, know what I mean?" _Why is everyone in this town so freaky when it comes to dating? She's six, for Christ's sake! _Jack shook his head in exasperation. "And who are you anyways?"

"Oh, haven't we met? I'm Popuri." She stood up, placing one hand on her hip. Jack suddenly realized what an amazing figure she had. "You're too nice if you're supposed to be her big brother. Why, my brother is _never _nice to me… Oh! I'm supposed to ask your name, aren't I?"

"Uh, Jack," he offered half-heartedly.

"Oh, the guy who took over Ben's old farm? Wow, we're neighbors! It's so weird that I haven't seen you before!" She looked him over, excited all of a sudden.

"Uh, Popuri? Jack? You guys are ignoring me. 'Sides, we're supposed to be at the festival." May started to tug gently at Popuri's dress, her manner now completely meek. Jack felt suddenly relieved. _It's not _just_ my problem anymore._

"Oh yeah! Good Goddess, I'm late! I still have to dance!" She grabbed both Jack's and May's sleeve in her excitement, yanking them into the Rose Square alongside her.

While May attempted to protest, Jack noted the odd expression she had used. '_Good Goddess', not 'Good God.' What a weird thing to say… and I think I've heard it used before… _

Where, of course, he couldn't recall.

* * *

"And now for the event you've all been waiting for!" Mayor Thomas, elevated by a tiny "podium" (a cardboard box, really), was truly in his element: basking in the center of the village's attention.

Popuri had disappeared almost immediately after dragging Jack and May into the square. Roughly a minute later, Mayor Thomas, looking like a self-satisfied lobster, pushed his little box into the middle of the square and began his equally-little speech. May was now clinging to Jack's pant leg, her previous dramas with Stu forgotten.

"Every year, we gather to celebrate the rejuvenation of Spring and to dedicate yet another season to the hard work and earnestness of the Harvest Goddess!" Various cheers erupted throughout the crowd, which Thomas attempted to soothe by raising his tiny arms towards the sky. No one noticed, and a few minutes later the cheers died on their own.

"To thank the Harvest Goddess for her efforts in this beautiful time, I now give you our Spring Goddess Dancers!" Thomas quickly hopped off of his box and pushed it to the outside of the square, away from the center of attention.

To Jack, the whole 'introduction speech' was some sort of boring tradition or protocol. If he had maybe listened a little closer to Thomas's words, he might've saved himself a great deal of confusion and mind-wrenching thought later on.

Unfortunately, he treated the tiny mayor like he treated all of his previous authority figures: the same way one treats a telephone solicitor when they screw up your last name, even though it's a pathetically simple one like Wendt or Menz (a telemarketer's worst nightmare is filled with words ending with odd consonants). In other words, you hang up and forget about them completely within a few minutes. Such was the case with Thomas's speech, only minus the "hanging up" part.

There was an awkward moment of silence before an energetic flute ditty began somewhere out of sight. It was shortly accompanied by a fiddle adding an opposing tune, creating a sort of joyous harmonic romp. About a second later, the bongos began and the five dancers entered the square.

Jack recognized three of them as they arranged themselves in the unoccupied center of the square: two of the girls were closest to the audience while the other three filled out the spaces in between from a few feet behind. Jack imagined them forming a sort of "W."

Karen, unsurprisingly, was in the center of the second row. At her sides were two girls Jack didn't recognize, one with long black hair and another with short brown. Popuri and Ann formed the bottom of the "W," and were the closest to the audience of villagers. Every girl wore a similar dress as well as a thin, white tiara that was also ringed with flowers. People in Mineral Town really seemed to hit you over the head with clothing themes.

The girls began tapping their legs in time with the bongos, which was when it became very obvious that the black-haired girl was going to be having a tough time: her steps were already out of tempo.

One of the hidden musicians suddenly let out a sharp cry and the dancers began twirling. The ones in back leapt forward while the ones in front treaded backwards, exchanging places.

Twirls to the right, spins to the left. Back steps, elegant leaps, foot taps… It was all in perfect harmony with the music. The dancers formed a sort of visual aspect to the song, personifying its spirit and character perfectly. It was all very mystical…

As long as you focused on Karen. Popuri had stopped dancing long ago as she doubled over in laughter. Ann had this constipated look on her face; though her movements seemed in time with Karen's, it was obvious she was trying too hard. And the girl with black hair appeared to have tripped and taken herself out of commission; Jack wondered if she couldn't see very well as she had almost taken Ann out with her. Ann had started out several feet in front of her, you see.

The only girl who appeared to rival Karen was the one with short brown hair. Both of the girls were perfectly together, which was especially apparent since they were always in the same row. Jack still couldn't get a good look at the girl, but it was plain that she was a bit a plumper than Karen. Even so, she was almost as graceful and seemed a bit more comfortable with dancing than, say, Ann. Plus she seemed to be enjoying herself.

The music gradually grew softer and its pace slower, which the dancers expressed in their movements (the three who weren't incapacitated anyways). Finally, the song ended its gradual descent into nothingness and the dancers finished their final, slow twirl. There was silence…

Followed by tremulous, stormy applause from the audience. There were whistles and cheers, too; parents rushed out to their daughters and hugged them proudly. You would never have guessed that they'd been doing this same act for the last five years.

* * *

Jack found himself being carried away by the tide of cheery villagers. May gripped his hand tightly, beaming the whole while. Jack was actually afraid her face might crack from the strain.

Popuri, still experiencing a bout of hysterics, was being helped to a bench at the side of the square by a taller man with bushy red hair and glasses. Jack decided to leave her alone for the time being.

Karen was no where to be seen, but Ann was standing in the center of the square with her father, Doug, talking to Duke and a dark-haired woman Jack took to be his wife.

"Hey May! Did you see my sis dance? She did pretty good!" shouted an energetic voice from below Jack's field of vision. He looked down at a little boy with a thin mat of black hair and bright, brown eyes. _Must be Stu,_ he thought.

"She did pretty _well_, not 'good!'" May rolled her eyes. "_Boys!_"

"Aw, May, why do you have to be such a no-it-all?"

"I'm _not _a know-it-all, you've just been mean to me lately. I don't have to be nice to mean people."

"Fine, then I won't show you this old boot I found on the beach the other day." Stu took a rubbery object out from beneath his overalls.

_Now how didn't I notice him hiding that before?_ Jack shook his head in amazement and decided to let the conversation take its natural course. He let go of May's hand and started towards Ann and Doug, who had just finished talking with Duke and his wife.

He could hear the remnants of May and Stu's spat behind him: "Oh! I think that will fit Hannah's paws!"

"No, more like her tail…"

The rest was drowned out as Doug greeted Jack. "I was wondering when you'd show up! Wasn't Ann perfect out there?"

"Dad! Stop it!" Ann blushed fiercely and stomped on her dad's foot. "You know I stink at dancing!"

"Ow- Ann! Quit it!" he bellowed, gently shoving his daughter off of him. "This is between us _guys!_ Why don't you go talk with Karen?"

"She went to help her dad pack up the instruments, and besides-"

"So anyways, did you think my daughter looked alright in her dress? I haven't seen her wear anything with flowers in ages!" continued Doug as though Ann wasn't standing right next to him. Her face was starting to look like it had an angry sunburn, to the point where Jack could no longer see her numerous freckles.

"You were great, Ann!" A tall, long-haired man dressed in brown came to stand beside her. His hair was an interesting combination of blond at the tips and brown towards the back, where it was gathered into a pony-tail. With the exception of his dark-brown eyes, he bore a great resemblance to Karen.

"Oh, Cliff! What _great _timing!" Ann glared at her dad, who had an odd "I've-been-foiled" look. Some instinct told Jack that the nonverbal exchange was one of those things best not explored by one's curiosity. "Jack, this is my _escort_," she twisted her mouth distastefully at the word. "Cliff. He lives at our inn and does odd jobs for my dad."

She elbowed Doug, who was now wearing a sour expression. "Yeah, he's a great guy. Helps us out whenever he can," he grunted.

_Nice change of subject there, _noted Jack. _She appears to be a sharp one._

He smiled. "Nice to meet you Cliff."

Cliff, however, frowned. "So _you're _Jack? I guess I'm sort of the reason you ended up coming alone." He smiled back apologetically and took a shy half-step away from Ann, who completely missed the significance of the gesture.

"Oh, I didn't come alone. Barley had me bring May since he had to stay back at his ranch." Jack pointed behind himself towards where May was still engrossed with Stu's boot. By the looks of it, they had discovered some sort of dead beetle within.

"That's awfully nice of you to think of the little ones," replied Doug heartily. "You must really like kids a lot. Much of a family man, are you?"

Ann glared at her father for the umpteenth time while Cliff gave Jack a somewhat quizzical stare. Jack just shrugged and Cliff nodded in understanding. It's surprising how much body language can express between two like-minded people. To everyone else, it means absolutely nothing and is best left at that.

"Well, I'm going to go see where Karen ran off to. There's been plenty of time to pack up, and I don't think she'll want to miss the Couples' Dance." Ann strolled off, making sure to step on her dad's toes on the way. He gave a surprised yelp and followed her, a look of murder fixed on his face.

"Uh, later Jack. Nice meeting you and all." Cliff gave another apologetic nod, then took off after Ann and Doug.

Jack turned back towards the rest of the crowd, which was beginning to thin out as those not interested in the Couples' Dance made their way home. The sun was finally starting to leave the horizon and was leaving in the Square in a hazy purple glow which Jack found relaxing. That is, until Elli came up behind him and tapped him on the shoulder.

Slightly surprised, he spun around and found himself face-to-face with the short-haired girl who had managed to keep up with Karen so well during the dance.

She was fairly pretty, though he had been right about her body; she was slightly heavier-set than the rest of the Mineral Town girls. However, it was the way her face looked at that moment which truly piqued Jack's interest. And his memories.

"Excuse me, but I don't believe we've met." The girl gave Jack a polite smile. "I'm Elli, the nurse at the local Clinic." Her smile suddenly faltered and she blinked worriedly. "He-hello? Are you okay?"

"Oh! Sorry," said Jack, surfacing from his unexpected reverie. "Uh, yeah, I'm fine. I'm Jack. Pleased to meet you."

"O-okay… Well, anyways, I wanted to say how thankful I am that you brought May." She tried smiling again, but it looked like she swallowed a lemon slice instead. Her big, tawny eyes still bore into Jack with their worry. "Barley has lots of responsibilities and he's too old to do everything now. It would've been too bad if May had to miss out on this festival, though."

"It's not a problem," replied Jack, who was oblivious to her medical concern. "I'm always happy to help a neighbor out."

"That's a good thing. People around here really appreciate gestures like that." She clasped her hands in the center of her dress and gave Jack a genuine smile, office-politeness completely thrown aside. "You know, adults really do need to look after children. May is such a sweet little girl, and I don't think you realize how much she was looking forward to this festival. I'll bet my brother is happy, too, seeing as she's the only kid in the village that's his age."

"Stu must be your brother then? Yeah, she talks about him _a lot._"

"Oh, how sweet! Just goes to show that they're best friends."

_If you only knew…_ "Kids tend to like being with other kids," he mumbled nonchalantly.

"Well, it was nice talking with you Jack, but I really should be going now. I have lots of charts to sort at the Clinic. The doctor couldn't even take a break today!" She gave one last parting smile as she moved away. "Don't overwork yourself. If you ever feel nauseous or dizzy, go to the Clinic. _Not _the bar. "

"Yeah, I'll be sure to." How that sorry episode got around so quickly was beyond Jack, but he figured he couldn't be blamed for things he couldn't remember, so he let it slide.

_

* * *

_

_Jack's diary, Spring 8 of his first year on the farm_

_Elli. I don't I've ever met anyone like her… I've imagined people like her, of course, but never actually thought they really existed…_

_I mean, ever since I was little I wondered what a _real _mother looked like, the ones that you read about in stories and see on sitcoms. They care about their kids more than they care about themselves, make dinner for them, ground them… Stuff a lot of my "old friends" were always complaining about. _

_Hah, but I never had any of that. My mom was always gone, and when she was at home she was almost always putting on makeup or trying on new clothes or something like that. When I was little, she used to call me a Peeping Tom when I tried to talk to her and told me to get out of her room. She was _always _in that damn room._

_Melanie came close, but she wasn't a mom. She was an aunt, and at the end of the day that's what she wanted to be, nothing more. She was the epitome of a caring person to me for as long as I can remember._

_But then, here of all places, I meet someone like Elli. There's something in her eyes, some sort of natural, I don't know, instinct? Is that the word? Well, she's the only person I know who looks like she'd be ready to stick Advil down your throat or give you CPR at any provocation. By provocation, I mean a threat to your life. Sounds kinda evil the way I wrote it. _

_Oh, I wouldn't really know all that, I guess. But her face, her eyes… just gave me that type of feeling about her, I suppose._

_You know, this town is full of weird people. Was it just me, or did it seem like that innkeeper, Doug, was trying to marry Ann off to me? And that Popuri! Wow, she's like some incarnation of a drug addict's worst hallucination! Babbles like one, too._

_Stu and May decided to dance together during that "Couple's Dance" thing that they do when night falls, so I found myself with Popuri (thank God for that; I was getting tired of trying not to look like a pedophile). Apparently, she didn't have a date, I mean "escort," so she didn't have anyone to dance with. Well, I ended up with her and she talked during the whole thing, explaining in length about her brother and how awful he is._

_Speaking of her brother, I met him, too. He seemed okay to me, though I didn't talk to him for very long. He and Karen are "childhood friends" I guess, and they always went to this festival with each other. I didn't see them dance together, though, nor did I see Ann or her little posse after Doug tried to pimp her out to me. Oh well; more is the pity._

_Well, I'm starting to get tired. Before I forget, though, I'm going to note that weird saying they have around here, "Sweet Goddess" I think it was (or maybe "Good Goddess). Going to have find out what that's supposed to mean; I thought I saw a church when I was first touring the town, a perfectly normal-looking Christian one (don't know which denomination though). Isn't using "Goddess" instead of "God" a bit on the blasphemous side? _

**AN:** This "little" chapter took a very, very long time to write. I think it shows, which to me isn't a good thing. I hate slow-moving chapters, which nearly all of them have been so far. Hopefully I'll get a chance to pick up the pace a bit in the next few additions. If it's not too much trouble, leave a review after reading the story and give me a idea of how I'm doing. Do you like the direction? Grammar okay? I always appreciate comments about elements like that. Otherwise, I hope you've enjoyed this story so far!


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